Edited for brevity.
The Senate voted unanimously to support adding seven eastern European nations to NATO, hailing the shift of former communist states into free-market democracies allied with the United States and Western Europe. If approved by all 19 NATO member states, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia would be added to the alliance. Sixteen of the current members have not yet ratified the expansion. Foreign ministers of the seven nations were in the Senate Gallery to witness the 96-0 vote, well over the two-thirds vote needed for ratification. They were to meet later with President Bush. No House vote is needed on the expansion. |